Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Aldi Beef and cheese chimichanga ultra-processed?

142 g Burritos Sold in the United States

Pack of Aldi Beef and cheese chimichanga

Yes, it's ultra-processed

  1. 1 Unprocessed
  2. 2 Kitchen staple
  3. 3 Processed
  4. 4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

  • 55 ingredients
  • 12 additives
  • Nutri-Score D

Less processed burritos

Less processed isn't automatically healthier, so compare the labels for what matters to you, such as sugar or salt.

Ingredients

Ultra-processing Processing signs are highlighted

water, beef steak (beef steak, beef broth, salt), beef cheddar cheese (milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes, annatto), green chile (green chile peppers, water, citric acid), long grain parboiled rice, textured vegetable protein, tomato paste, modified food starch, dehydrated onion, salt, corn flour (white corn cooked with lime water), jalapeños (jalapeño peppers, water, vinegar, salt, sodium benzoate, calcium chloride), chili pepper spices, garlic powder, red pepper, caramel color, flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), soybean oil, salt, baking powder (sodium bicarbonate, corn starch, sodium aluminum sulfate, calcium sulfate, monocalcium phosphate), guar gum, sodium metabisulfite, corn starch, microcrystalline cellulose, dicalcium phosphate, soybean oil

Additives: E150c Ammonia caramel , E160b Annatto , E211 Sodium benzoate , E223 Sodium metabisulphite , E330 Citric acid , E341 Calcium phosphates , E341i Monocalcium phosphate , E341ii Dicalcium phosphate , E412 Guar gum , E460 Cellulose , E460i Microcrystalline cellulose , E521 Aluminium sodium sulphate

Also detected, but not matched to one ingredient: E150c Ammonia caramel.

As written on the pack

WATER, COOKED SEASONED BEEF STEAK (BEEF STEAK, BEEF BROTH, SALT), BEEF CHEDDAR CHEESE (PASTEURIZED MILK, CHEESE CULTURES, SALT, ENZYMES, ANNATTO), DICED GREEN CHILE (GREEN CHILE PEPPERS, WATER, CITRIC ACID), LONG GRAIN PARBOILED RICE, TEXTURED VEGETABLE PROTEIN, TOMATO PASTE, MODIFIED FOOD STARCH, DEHYDRATED ONION, SALT, CORN FLOUR (WHITE CORN COOKED WITH LIME WATER), DICED JALAPEÑOS (JALAPEÑO PEPPERS, WATER, VINEGAR, SALT, SODIUM BENZOATE, CALCIUM CHLORIDE), CHILI PEPPER SPICES, GARLIC POWDER, CRUSHED RED PEPPER, CARAMEL COLOR, ENRICHED FLOUR (BLEACHED WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), SOYBEAN OIL, SALT, BAKING POWDER (SODIUM BICARBONATE, CORN STARCH, SODIUM ALUMINUM SULFATE, CALCIUM SULFATE, MONOCALCIUM PHOSPHATE), GUAR GUM, DOUGH CONDITIONER (SODIUM METABISULFITE, CORN STARCH, MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE, DICALCIUM PHOSPHATE), SOYBEAN OIL.

What makes it ultra-processed

Cosmetic additives

Added to change how the food looks, feels or tastes, not to keep it safe. A hallmark of ultra-processed food.

  • E150c Ammonia caramel Ammonia caramel is a brown colour made by heating sugars with ammonia compounds.
  • E160b Annatto Colours are substances which add or restore colour in a food, and include natural constituents of foods and natural sources which are normally not consumed as foods as such and not normally used as characteristic ingredients of food.
  • E412 Guar gum Guar gum is a thickener ground from the seeds of the guar plant.
  • E460 Cellulose A food additive used to dissolve, dilute, disperse or otherwise physically modify a food additive or nutrient without altering its function -and without exerting any technological effect itself- in order to facilitate its handling, application or use of the food additive or nutrient.
  • Modified starch Modified starch is starch altered physically, with enzymes or chemically, so that it thickens, gels or survives freezing and heating better than ordinary starch.
4 ingredients that would only make it processed

Kitchen staples like sugar, salt and oil. On their own they make a food processed, not ultra-processed.

  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.
  • Sandwiches Products in the category "Sandwiches" are at least group 3.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 20 burritos

From least to most processed, this one ranks 16th. 75% of the burritos here are ultra-processed.

Ranked by NOVA group, then by the number of ultra-processing signs, additives and ingredients. Our ordering, not part of NOVA.

All 20 burritos, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 4099100280449, last edited 24 August 2026), available under the Open Database License. If something is wrong or the recipe has changed, you can correct it there.
  • Photo: Open Food Facts contributors, CC BY-SA 3.0.
  • The NOVA group is an automated estimate from crowdsourced data: a missing or mistyped ingredient can change it.
  • NOVA measures processing, not nutrition. For nutrition, Open Food Facts gives this product a Nutri-Score of D (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.